From the desk of Former Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan and Former Mayor Christina L. Shea

A statement regarding Irvine open space and the future development of the city.

As two former mayors of the City of Irvine, we feel it is important to voice our concerns about the new direction the Irvine Company has taken toward the future development of the city.

In 1988, Irvine voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative Resolution 88-1 that the City Council at the time, including Mayor Larry Agran and Councilmember Sally Anne Sheridan, placed on the ballot to seek direction from Irvine residents to make changes to the city’s General Plan to preserve large areas in open space through a negotiated agreement with the landowner, Irvine Company. Mayor Agran made it clear that he wanted to protect open space in the north, south, and central part of the city from future development. The Irvine Company agreed with the plan and entered into an Open Space Agreement with the city to convey property rights for the open space to the City in return for development rights on other land designated for development.

Now, the current leadership of the Irvine Company is much different and seems to have forgotten its commitment to honor the will of the voters expressed in 1988 and again in 1991 when 88-1 was approved a second time. The company is pushing to develop the center city open space, replacing it with 3,100 houses and apartments and threatening to increase the number to 5,000 units if it doesn’t get its way.

Rather than the existing 333 acres of open space land, the company is proposing, by comparison, a paltry 50+/- acres as a nature park to be maintained at the expense of Irvine taxpayers.

Unfortunately, it appears that the city is going along with the idea, having approved a memorandum of understanding in 2025 that has the company providing some $95 million if the company receives development approvals. We do not believe the city’s open space, meant to be preserved in perpetuity, should be sold to developers today or tomorrow. At a minimum, it is up to the voters to decide if they agree with allowing open space land to be used for development.

That is why we are supporting the gathering of signatures for the citizens initiative submitted by the Committee to Protect All Irvine Open Space. It is imperative that this measure gets to the ballot in November.

Unfortunately, in an apparent effort to thwart this effort, the Irvine Company has decided to use hardball tactics, evidently approaching homeowners associations to dissuade them from supporting this effort and limiting locations and timeframes at local shopping centers for volunteers collecting signatures.

We hope the citizens of Irvine will start attending City Council meetings, oppose this proposal, and urge the City Council to abide by Resolution 88-1 and respect the will of the voters.